If you play an instrument, do you hire someone else that plays the same instrument as you so you can concentrate on the engineering side or do you run back and forth from the booth (drummers! )and play with the band?

I am finding out during the recording of my projects, that I have a hard time playing, if I am concentrating on the recording side!

When producing, it is very frustrating because I know what kinds of beats and sounds I want and it is easier to play them myself, but the selfish side of me wants to make sure that the mix sounds correctly.

And on top of that, I want the music recorded "Motown" / Philly Intl style with minimal overdubs!

When I am done, I will be posting a website that showcases what I am doing so I hope you guys like what we are doing to bring "Soul" music back!

Maybe you should lay down a guide track, record everyone else and only overdub your own part, Daren. You can only wear one hat at a time. As I understand it, the real 'production' at Motown happened after the recording and was mainly a function of mixing.

Back in the day, I would always play live with the cats on my productions because thats what we were all about. Im a "feel person" and not such a nit-picker in the studio. Same goes for the rest of the guys. We had total trust in our engineers because they innately knew just what we were going for and that was the Phiily sound.

Ours was a unique place, and unlike most other recording centers. Even our string players were not so rigid and they would swing like a rhythm section and some of us(such as myself and Norman) would be "unorthodox" in our conducting skills, as we had that "stage thing" going on and the groove was always there..

Now on most post -Philly-type sessions, I had someone else play guitar and usualy did the "specialized stuff".

If you're gonna produce, produce. Delagate playing to those who make their living playing arrangements. If you still insist on doing both buy a work station and make demos. Producing is an art all to it's self as is playing, arranging, mixing and mastering. Trying to wear more than one hat in a storm will only get your hair wet.

Thank you for the comments! I am learning more and more each day about what producers have to go through to convey their musical messages to musicians. Sometimes you get more than you could dream of and sometimes you will pull your hair out!

I am also learning to limit the number of people who try to "take over" when you get in the studio as well. It is amazing just how many people want to be the "boss"!

Anyway, I am concentrating on this project and I will be working on this all summer and part of the fall!

Daren, Make sure that it is totaly understod that its YOUR project and that YOU are the producer. If ANYONE tries to undermine you, show them the door IMMEDIATELY.

Keep a closed session at all times. No visitors. No wives or girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, questionable friends, wannabe producers, haters, maters, poses, drug dealers,baby mamas, baby daddys etc. Opinions are like assholes, everybody has them and the only opinion should be yours, period.

Also what would help is to get the arrangements to your session guys ahead of time and have one rehearsal before recording so that when you all enter the studio, you are comfortable with the material and there will be room left for creativity. That works for me when I produce sessions.

Hardest thing in any creative process that involves other people is holding on to your original idea. If you stay true to it, everything will probably go fine. If you listen to everyone else's opinion, you'll wind up doing something else. That way you lose both ways up. If it's a success, it isn't entirely yours. If it fails, it's nobody else's fault. A lot of creative people develop a taste for canned applause to see them through. Everyone else is feeding off you. If you've already got the goods, the rest is manufacture. The best artisans will deliver in budget and on time. The others will talk you to death. No bitterness; just experience....